Murdered Briton in China Had Spy Links

11/6/2012 1:46AM

A Wall Street Journal investigation has found that murdered Briton Neil Heywood provided information about the family of ousted Communist Party leader Bo Xilai. The WSJ's Jeremy Page reveals what Heywood may have been up to in China.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the ... meal it lacked the brake status that was a close confidant of the Bo Xilai family ... and who was murdered in China last year ... is now under said to have links with Britain's secret service ... with me to discuss this is Jeremy Page who wrote the exclusive article ... that's in today's Wall Street Journal Jamie thanks for joining NL it's been a long night for you ... um ... first if our house a little bit about Neil Heywood's links where am I fixed ... and how deep his association with them actually was ... boldly understanding is that ... seemed to be matched in two thousand in the rain ... later identify it's ... been so see him as a nemesis all this out ... and ... up to that point sensitive with continued meeting without cussing ... and providing them with the written permission of buts ... about it for family ... what others sources are telling us that the skiing was no it's ... not my six Opus that he was not on the payroll ... well the British intelligence service from when he was notes in receipt of trust getting this ... the spiteful or endeavor and being given a ... decommissioned all costs to get a ticket these information ... so this is the wool setting is the key words ... in it he was tossing known ... a lot of you know what he knew what he learned about the family ... to us and he knew to be ... venomous itself as an answer to that ... point is that he was he was and knowing the source of information to ... so my six it wasn't just that you know he was getting so many years ... he didn't know was ... a ... success ... that made this revelation raises all sorts of questions ... on the biggest question of course that is what are the motivations what were the motivations behind his murder ... I mean really as we've reported ... it was over disagreements on within the family over over the finances of the of Bush Eli family ... but now could it possibly be because of his connection semi safe ... well ... he's just about any British officials of Chinese officials ... the sources that I spend to ... determine who wins the obscene or slightly in and the reason that he puts ... chills ... it didn't come up in the trials of solar wind out of the last month so welcome Qatar ... which is why ... and don't want to know them or changing police chief warns the ... U S consulate in Chengdu ... aam however ... you know there are still a lot of ... polls Obama wants to questions in the marriage if it's been provided by the Chinese government's eyes ... why and how is that they would lose their yields ... one interesting though is that it's ... Mr. wanting ... when he was a new school so he exclaims that's ... been going back to confess to him ... that she did kill the SPY which invests in which kills ... and Sunday which sends a ... chill despite its name ... right and you mention that in your story ... did the other question and that ... of course it is the circumstances surrounding his death no Neil Heywood was cremated very quickly ... um ... and ... obviously Britain knew about this but ... given his grace and my six while warrant ... more questions to pass ... after he wins after his that I mean ... it seems that's the aam they pretty much agreed to be the ... case is that you know he he had died of alcoholism or more from thinking too much ... but while ... that sounds more ... it is still didn't announce its key questions in this saga ... the increase in two min rest song on this point ... don't watch the British government knew about Mr and that means rich people around me and when ... um that is set to begin with as you say except it's not the same song team's pitching the study wouldn't die of excessive alcohol ... consumption patterns ... a ... friend or not this is you are going for a long time now saying that study and a reason to suspect foul play or stations in anyway ... until suspicions were raised and is the tradition of community in China ... I'm starting in January eighteen ... now it is that ... this reasoning arms Heywood was ... providing information from ... a more lenient for ... that ... the two are my six ... consenting bull family ... then in some part of the ... British system ... there were people who wonder where this relationship ... aam parents ... and so one might ... expect to get the response ... when they find out if you die ... the other thing to ask is ... for China for ... someone with links am I thankful that we know he was an actual employed by my fix ... but to infiltrate ... the ranks of the Politburo member someone selling the influential ... what is the fifth of security lapses in China can we draw any conclusions from that ... well ... really shoot possible explanations one is that ... it's ... they were not so why ... this brings to mind six which would be ... an upturn ... is a major breach of security that I'm ... I'm in China does with dogs the brunt of my students told me this is a state secrets and no stats ... and foreign governments extremely in ... Stamford find out ... more about it and ... what that actually holds its own functions ... in our estimation is that it's that ... and rewire where it's in which case it's extremely likely that the cuts ... in Medicare and possibly his six contacts and its events stems ... from ... an awesome even that's a bottomless parents when he was ... changing my last visit ... and and the last question is I mean and Neil Heywood himself in like a very iam interesting character ... as you say in the story he drove around China and a Jaguar with license plate that said ... double oh seven so ... you know it's surprising to me that a man someone like this would actually be informants am I fix them and it would seem a little bit too obvious ... um ... how long was he assisted in the semi six and why would they choose someone ... who was so overt and obvious about ... aam you know wanting to have things on my lifestyle in China ... when you write although his lead in event that would suggest this time you know it's you know he he ... until the sauce improved while the woman with each use and don't know summons can be a confidential informant on credentials solace ... in on the other hand it was quite an ... inch each time errands ... that ... and you know I'm in it and think it's been a driving around in a Jagr single oh seven next is actually going to the twenty one to the scrutiny of determines ... securities sensitive and sell ... um ... but it doesn't just in an ... accident of the lack of ... discussion all for um you know it the ... summer months it ... didn't take me instead of dismissing him ... it's going to hear what is ... seen with very rock access to the family oh one in terms ... of twenty five units on their very few foreigners to fund in place to to to people about what should I was very unusual and gets ... cultivate the ships would ... come with origins in particular items I'm ... so a fall ... the British and any other foreign governments I'm seeking information on these people ... they were to be you know of very tempting prospects and scrum ... know in some ways neither of expected them with the Stoxx ... stole the option on the twenty oh what's causing new entrants are corporations ... right ... thanks so much for joining us Jeremy Page fishing correspondent for the Wall Street Journal for more on the